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I listen to everything from gangster rap to j-pop, from death metal to love metal, from classic rock to indie, from techno to jazz, from pop to ska and I love it all, I don't believe that people can just like 1 genre of music and basically like everything that comes out of it because there is good music in every genre. There is something from every genre that makes my skin have goosebumps or make me smile when that wonderful chord progression chimes in.

And on the note of classical, when I play classical music for my friends they are not only in awe at my ability but usually at the beauty of the piece too.

I was in a professional symphony orchestra for a number of years, and was always surprised at the excitement for "classical" music that was fostered by the symphony's outreach programs. We would do a series of "Young People's Concerts" designed to acquaint the younger school-aged generation with "the classics." I always liked the gig because it was during the day and they had a catered lunch (fringe benefits, heh!).

When people ask me what kind of music I like, I tell them I like everything but country and rap. That statement happens to be true. There is a lot of music that only passes as tolerable, but from Beethoven to the Beatles, Mozart to Motley Crue, there's a lot of great stuff out there.

The tragedy is that we're labeled "freaks" because we've been willing to branch out. Most popular music comes and goes. You can almost tell someone's age by the first 5 bands they name off the top of their head. But imagine a world without Beethoven's 9th symphony, and that's where the real tragedy lies.

David MarsdenSales & MarketingBaldassin PianosFazioli • Schimmel • Estonia • VogelPramberger • Charles Walter • Nordiska--How come people recite at a play and play at a recital?

Quote by Amelialw:- I feel sorry for people who do not know how to appreciate classical music.

I would suggest that it is often not that they do "not know how......." but have their brain and senses designed differently from others. None of us are alike usually, often huge differences in the brain area, that controls the senses and reactions to sounds and eye views such as paintings.

We who can understand music naturally, are born that way IMO.

By all means,we can wish to re-define names for styles of music but that is only superficial, as the music is what it is. I understand what I like and dislike some other music which I do not haveharmonic vibrations to my natural sense of music.

I love jazz with a solid beat, usually some that the can be danced or jived to. My era is the 1930/40s Benny Goodman and others from that period. Solo jazz piano from the Scott Joplin days and Fats Waller and many others.

As well as Jazz I like many of the piano Classics and have been to good concerts which is enthralling. However, nothing gets my senses more than the jazz piano I mention above.

Its all in our genes in my view. My mother, born in 1901, played like Fats Waller and taught me to play by ear, I'm nearly 80 now and it has given me the most enduring soul sensations which stand alone.

I'm at the stage where genre means nothing to me... I seek out and listen to good music no matter what genre it is...

Just to clarify, the common perception of 'rap' in this thread is severely misguided... 50 Cent or basically any other product (not musician) that gets onto radio is basically rubbish, but there are fantastic musicians and bands who use rap to very effective precussive effect, just as Bartok used the piano as a percussion instrument.

My listening styles range from Baroque to Classical (the period) to Romantic (again, the period) to jazz, fusion, rock, progressive metal, and to even - dare i say it - death metal (and no it does not make me want to worship satan and kill people lol, another stereotype which has to go).

I think that thoes who say they dont like classical music, proberbly havent every listened to it, becuase they think its boring or uncool. But i bet if you made them listen to a piece of classical music that is easy to listen to such as:

Nimrod from the enigma variations or the swan from carnival of the animals. which is so beautiful, or even something more exciting such as the 1812..

i bet you they would like it.

it really frustrates me when people say they dont like it, but havent actually listened to any!

If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music. ~Gustav Mahler

What may be helpful is that any piano recitals (or any orchestra or band concerts) have a mix of classical, popular, country, etc. to appeal to all the generations (make it family friendly). And have an amateur's night once in a while. A great way to bring the community together...

Originally posted by xyz2004slc:[b]The difficulties of rock may or may not be the same as the difficulties of classical music, but there are difficulties.

yeah, like playing the 3 chords while stoned or/and playing the guitar with the teeth... [/b]

Are you really serious?I think part of the reason people don't give classical music or any other music a chance is they find the fans of that music can be condescending and elitist about their music compared to other music.I hate most rap and pop but I have a big problem with artists that say other art isn't art.Voices ,guitars ,drums and any other instrument can make great works of art to people who enjoy and understand them.

Well, I think it's best to think of music as individuals man. Seriously, I posted here yesterday about something similar concerning this, and I've come to the conclusion that...

well... genres are pure bullshit.

When you say you hate rap... You really mean you hate lil' wang or 50 cent or whatever...

When you say you hate classical music... well, you most likely can't even name the composer you hate in the first place, lol.

Well thats how I see it. I think it's impossible to categorize music like this, I think it only makes sense to say you hate a certain song, and to some extent, it's impossible to say you hate a particular artist, unless of course you've listened to all of his/her music and determined that you do indeed hate all of it.

Originally posted by pianocliff:The biggest threat to modern musical appreciation (IMHO) is the way music is marketed to the younger generation. Music thesedays is about promotion, marketing, image, complex chreography, oh yeah and let's see what else...almost forgot....the music. The MUSIC often times seems like the last thing that some popular musical performers think about when in fact, it should be the only thing. Maybe its the influence of MTV, of the media, of overzealous marketing, i don't know what for sure, but I find more people who want to listen to what other people listen to than actually find music that interests them.

I agree that the business aspect is was drives the music industry now. That's why we have barely-clad teenagers shaking their nether regions selling seven million copies of their album. I won't say MTV is solely to blame, but they sure as heck contribute to the problem. I'd heap most of the blame on them, except they really don't even play music videos anymore (just endless reruns of "reality" programming), however the minute they started tying "image" to the music, the descent began.

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Originally posted by Arjen:Do yourself a favor and check your favourite rock or rap forum. You'll find people complain how unfair it is everyone treats them like caged clowns, how everyone who listens to classical music only does so for the image and how vastly more difficult it is to speak 400 words a minute compared to pressing some keys on a piano.

I suppose any genre other than pure "pop" feels undervalued. However, it's hard to summon much pity for a genre populated by people who don't have any regard for something other than a turn table, synthesizer or drum machine.

Not that I have any interest or great love for Scott Storch (he's written for Christina Aguilera and other pop acts), but I found it appalling that when he had a falling out with most of the HipHop/R&B world, the insult they leveled at him was "Pianoman." I kid you not. They pretty much told him he sucked because he composed on the piano. See for yourself:

I agree, classical music is taking a back seat and not even given an opportunity. My friends cringe at the word "classical" and then cringe more when it's followed by "music." The generic is that it's boring--and that's stuck in their heads. they never think otherwise, and they never try it. Nor have the ever experienced playing it, or listening to it. They just go on judgements--judging music is just as bad as judging people!

I don't have anything against any style of music--I lean more towards other kinds, I have favorites and not-favorites, but there are still the classics. (Just like in literature!)

"Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable." -Leonard Bernstein

The music you like is usually the music popular in your home and social group. The music you "grew-up with."

Like father, like son--like parents, like offspring.

Then there's some people who have no interest in any kind of music. I have no doubt they can enjoy life as much as the avid music lover. The world's a big place with many, many great things of interest.

Bech

Music. One of man's greatest inventions. And...for me, the piano expresses it best.

I don't know. I sang a lot of classical, played quite a bit of it. I started collecting some CDs. Then I realized I couldn't stand listening to a large chunk of classical music for any extended periods. I guess that's true of most music in general.

But it shouldn't be forgotten that "classical music" was a product of royalty and upper class patronage. They developed a taste for this music in part because they wanted to differentiate themselves from the peasant masses. I really wonder when classical music hasn't been considered generally snobbish and elitist.

So classical music finds a home in movie sound tracks while modern media allows exposure to all types of music.